Front-of-Pack Nutritional Labels as retail demand cues: Evidence from five voluntary-labeling markets

Front-of-Pack Nutritional Labels (FOPLs) are usually examined as consumer information tools or public-health disclosures. In voluntary-labeling markets, they may also operate as on-pack retail cues whose adoption, visibility, and framing may be shaped by retailers and brand owners. Across five randomized between-subjects experiments with adult consumers recruited through Prolific in Poland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece (N = 731), participants evaluated manipulated product stimuli manipulated by label format, retailer framing, or endorsement source. Nutri-Score, an interpretive summary label, generated higher perceived healthiness than NutrInform Battery, a nutrient-specific label. This healthiness inference was associated with brand attitude and purchase intention across private-label and national-brand contexts. Studies 4 and 5 qualified this pattern: retailer-authored health-commitment framing did not amplify the Nutri-Score pathway, while retailer endorsement produced lower perceived healthiness, higher brand attitude, and no reliable net change in purchase intention. The findings indicate that voluntary FOPLs can operate as information disclosures and retailer-manageable cues that influence product and brand evaluation. They also suggest that managerial and policy assessments of FOPLs should consider label format, endorsement framing, and label source.